According to the study carried out by Ormax Media, the most popular character on television is Anandi from Balika Vadhu

Ormax Media has come out with the second edition of its study, 'Characters India Loves'. Three of the top five characters are from the Hindi general entertainment channels, Colors. Anandi, the protagonist from Balika Vadhu, is character that audiences like most; as per the study, Anandi enjoys 12 per cent share.

Akshara from Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai on STAR Plus is the second most liked character, with 9 per cent share. Raju Srivastava, the comedian who is currently part of Bigg Boss, has been voted as the third most popular character. Sadhana from Bidaai (STAR Plus) and Ichchha from Uttaran (Colors), rank No. 4 and 5, respectively.

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While among women audiences, the ranking is almost the same; male audiences like a different set of characters. Raju Srivastava is the most liked character with 17 per cent votes. Anandi ranks second with 10 per cent votes. Salman Khan on 10 Ka Dum and Vindu Dara Singh of Bigg Boss are fairly popular among the male audiences; but not the female audiences.

The study suggests that non-fiction characters have become more popular than last time. This time, 24 per cent characters audiences voted for were from non-fiction shows, as compared to 20 per cent in the last edition of the study. Out of this 24 per cent, 14 per cent of the characters are from Bigg Boss.

SAB, which has been repositioned as a family comedy channel, also has its share of popular characters. The top 10 list features two characters from SAB's show, Tarak Mehta Ka Oolta Chashma.

The study lists the top characters across gender, age, SEC and market segments, along with reasons for likeability of the characters. The second edition of the survey was conducted during the month of October-November; and interviews were conducted among 2,500 respondents across five cities, across SECs and in the age group of 15-44 years.

Ormax Media is a consumer knowledge and consulting firm launched by Shailesh Kapoor and Vispy Doctor. Its area of work spans across television, radio, films and other entertainment categories such as direct to home (DTH) TV, home video brands, retail outlets and multiplexes.